How does Terraform determine dependencies between resources?

• A. It defines how Terraform maps resources to modules.
• B. It determines the order resources are created.
• C. It enables remote state storage.
• D. It marks explicit dependencies between resources.

Answer: (D)

Terraform builds a dependency graph to determine the order in which resources are created. It does this primarily through two mechanisms: implicit dependencies that arise when one resource references attributes of another, and explicit dependencies you declare with the depends_on attribute. The explicit dependencies are the direct way to control and enforce that one resource waits for another, which is why this option is the most accurate description. In practice, most dependencies are inferred from references, but you can always make them explicit with depends_on to guarantee a specific ordering. The other choices describe related aspects (like module structure, general ordering, or remote state) but don’t explain how dependencies are determined or enforced.